The Woman Who Walked Into Doors

Doyle's 1993 Booker Prize-winning Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha was hailed as a small, resonant masterpiece . . . heartbreakingly right (Entertainment Weekly). His latest book, his richest work yet, will astonish readers with its heartrending story of a woman struggling to reclaim her dignity after marriage to an abusive husband and a worsening drinking problem.

Step into the mind, body and soul of Paula. This book is written with simplicity yet takes the reader through the complexity of a woman's dark life. The most amazing aspect of this woman's story is that it is written by a man.

J. K. Rowling: "It is the most remarkable book. Roddy Doyle gets inside the head of his character so utterly, so completely. I don't think I've ever encountered such a believable, fully rounded female character from any other heterosexual male writer in any age. I should emphasize that I would feel the same way about the book if it had been written by a woman; I would still think it was the most remarkable achievement. But when I sit back and think, 'A man wrote this?'—phenomenal. He has created a woman who, you imagine, will go to the bathroom and defecate. He also leaves her with her dignity, even though what she's going through is a horrific thing. And he does it all in such a subtle way. I do think he's a genius. His dialogue is irreproachable. And your heart...you're totally drawn into his books. I'm very passionate about Roddy Doyle, and I've never met him, which is a frustration to me."